New Projects

Well, I've been getting some things done this week that I am excited about. On my recent trip to Twa Corbies' Hollow, Natalia & I went out into the forest surrounding the Hollow in search of the perfect stave. Armed with her trusty hacksaw (the good one her dad likes) we came upon a slender Aspen that seemed perfect for me. She cut the tree down for me, even though I was more than capable to do it myself, and went over & found a good tree for hers. It had 5 branches that will hold an orb beautifully, like a magickal staff from a fantasy novel. After a little bit, we headed back to the house where we peeled off the bark and took off any excess branches. Since I have a stave made from a softwood, I had to make sure that no traces of the bark were to be found on the stave, as this will go moldy & gross. An Exacto knife worked perfectly for this.

My stave is a little over 4' with a little bend near the top (handrest?) with a cute little hole where a branch used to be (thumbrest?). Since my return from Twa Corbies', my stave has been drying out on my deck. Last night I started my sanding process to make my stave as smooth as a baby's bum. When I have completed it to my standards, I will ever-so-carefully carve into it sigils that will serve the stave's purpose, and put a couple of coats of a clear varnish. I was hoping I could make off with a strip of a leather thong that I had with me on the search for the stave, but it was needed by it's owner (dang!). It would've made for a great handloop.

The other day, while I played hookie from work, I had to go out to Walmart for some kitty litter and some sandpaper. While wandering the aisles, I headed to the craft section & sewing dept. All the fabrics & notions were on clearance. I guess Walmart is phasing out the sewing dept :( So, I looked to see how much the sewing machines were discounted. There weren't a lot left and I found a Singer that was originally priced at $150 marked down to $87. I'm not an expert sewer, but for my needs, this was perfect, so I grabbed the last one on the shelf & paid for it.


When I returned home, I immediately took it out of it's box and set it on my kitchen table and set things up, threaded some bobbins (black, white, red & pink) with what spools of thread I did have and I made a new pouch for my new deck of Tarot cards (the organza pouch will not cut it). Today, I'm thinking of going to the fabric store to see if they have any Hallowe'en fabrics that I can make table runners with. If not, I may get a pattern for a cloak to have for any rituals that I may attend this year (I'm thinking about becoming a bit more active in the local Pagan scene, but that's another post altogether). I am so excited with these 2 new projects, they are a welcome distraction to all the stress I have been experiencing lately.

Treasures From The White Lotus

On my recent jaunt to Twa Corbies this past weekend, we took a little trip into New Glasgow, a small town on the north shore of NS. They have a cute little Pagan shop called, The White Lotus. You can buy organic teas, herbs, body lotions, Earth-friendly cleaning supplies, as well as the usual things to be found in a Pagan shop. You can check out the store's website here.

My Goddess wall plaque

Goddess meditation candle with charm

My Green Man trinket box

Goddess figurine from a previous trip.

Musings of A Melted Witch

Well, summer is upon us all & the warmth of the sun shines brightly upon us. With summer comes the firsts harvests from our gardens, whether urban gardens on balconies or acres of gardens on your homesteads. In a few weeks we will be celebrating the first harvest of the season with Lughnasdh or Lammas. Now this year I did attempt to grow a little garden, but as in years past, my thumb grows more & more a non-green color. Even on my first visit to Twa Corbies, I planted thousands of parsnips in Cliff's garden. By my second visit, the parsnips didn't sprout...at all and Cliff had to transplant them to another location where they did eventually sprout.

Also this summer, in my personal life, I had to deal with a parent who was in hospital. My mother went in for a triple bypass & came out with a quadruple instead. While she was in hospital, my father stayed with me on wknds. This meant that this witch had to retreat back into the closet. Down came my altar, certain pictures off the walls, Pagan-themed decorations that I had made were hidden away and books were hidden in the closet bookcase or under the bed (as my bookcase is too full, now). I did have a scare, however, when my cat was sleeping under my bed & my dad went looking for her & found her. I was at work when this took place, I just happened to call home to see when Dad was going to the hospital to see Mom. I panicked!! He must've seen my copy of Doreen Valiente's book, Witchcraft for Tomorrow and Marian Green's, Natural Magic. They were right on front of the cat and there was no way he couldn't have seen them. After work I looked under the bed to see where exactly they were. He must've seen them, but he never mentioned anything to me. That was too close a call for me. I come from a very Anglican (Episcopalian) family, Paganism is not accepted at all. Even when I was younger & went to a Fundy Christian church (yes, I did) they weren't happy with me. This is why I am still in the "Broom Closet"

My mom's surgery went well, but a week & a half after getting released from hospital, she developed a nasty infection on her scar. It was so bad she was ambulanced down here to the city where she stayed for almost 2 weeks, hooked up to drainage tubes & IV's. My dad stayed with me on wknds, so blogging was almost impossible, so was going onto my "witchy" facebook account. So, now I'm back.

I've been doing some subtle changes to this here blog. I'm going to be experimenting with new layouts & backgrounds. I've added a calendar, so you all know what I'm up to, what meetings I'm going to, when I'm going to Twa Corbies, Sabbats, Esbats, etc.. So, please bear with me over the next while as I attempt to master Winzip for some new layouts.

Blessings to you all,
Rowan
)O(

Nature by Night & Other Adventures

So, another highly adventurous weekend was had by yours truly up at Twa Corbies' Hollow. I went up for a "Nature by Night" On Friday evening, after arriving at the Hollow, my little buddy, Willowisp greeted me with his favorite thing: stick. We played for a bit then Lady Daphne packed up our supper, I picked out a lovely Pinot Noir and Cliff gathered 2 bottles of his fine ale that he makes and off we headed into the wood for an evening of fun.

The cabin is a small hunting cabin about 4 or 5 miles from the Hollow. On the way there, Daphne spotted a cute little porcupine twaddling along the side of the dirt road, as we drove closer, his quills stuck up in warning to stay back. We turned onto another dirt road that led to the cabin in the woods.

After settling into the cabin, we ate a hearty meal of organic stir-fry with brown rice, chicken & veg all grown from the Hollow. I had a couple of glasses of the Pinot Noir and the men drank their ales. The fireflies were out that night, so we all ventured out into the warm night to watch as little glowing balls of green & yellow light gave us a show. We could hear the flying squirrels in the brush, as well as a raccoon. The sky up above was filled with stars, something this city girl doesn't get to see very often.

The next morning after partaking in a Medieval breakfast of homemade cheese & bread (with another glass of wine) Cliff & I headed out for a little hike in the wood. We had some good conversation, he showed me coyote tracks that were somewhat fresh, bear dung that was a couple of days old and we found some chanterelles that were just a bit too ripe for the picking. I was a bit surprised that the flies didn't bite, as I am an "all you can eat buffet" to them. After our hike, we packed up the cabin and headed back to the Hollow for the day's work.

That evening, we got the horses, Acorn & Aval, readied & saddled up for a little exercise in the corral. I was to ride Acorn...riding a horse is something I haven't done since I was a teenager. So, to be honest, I was a wee bit nervous to be on top of a 1200lb Belgian. After getting into the saddle, I rode her around the corral as Cliff rode Aval. Of course when they started trotting, Acorn decided that she was going to follow their lead and proceeded to go a little faster than I was ready to experience at that moment. After she stopped, I had my trusty guide Natalia guide me along on the horse. You know, when you hear people talking about how sore they are after riding, I totally get what they are saying. After only riding Acorn for about 15-20 minutes, my inner thighs were screaming. Daphne chuckled as I slowly walked over to where she was after dismounting Acorn.

As always, my time at the Hollow are filled with a lot of good times. I especially like hanging out with Daphne, she is such a gentle soul and she laughs at my jokes. The girls are great, they don't rib me too much about being a city girl too much. Just before I left the Hollow, I was given a copy of "Lore of the Bard" which I am currently reading. It was written by Cliff a few years ago. It is a very interesting read about Celtic lore. I am only 1/2 way through it, so I can't really give a full review of it, but it is a very good book. If you can still find it out there, get it.

Slainte
Rowan
)O(

Another Journey to Twa Corbies

Picture borrowed from Cliff

So, another weekend is upon me to venture out into the wilds of Nova Scotia. Hopefully this time the flies will be gone because this "all you can eat buffet" is closed. I will be participating in a 'Nature by Night' exploration walk, hosted by my lovely friend, Cliff & his wife, Lady Daphne. We will be exploring the wildwood by night, looking for flying squirrels,bats & anything else that may want to present itself to us.

I am also looking forward to this trip, as I will be riding a horse, something I haven't done in a decade or so. Ok, so it will be in a corral, with Acorn, or maybe her brother, Aval. I just hope Epona will be with me as I ride, as I think we (the horse & I) will be needing her.

I will try this time to remember to take some pix of my weekend in the country. I've been looking forward to getting back to Twa Corbies 5 minutes after I left the 1st time. ☺

A Change in Behavior

Have you ever had something happen in your life that makes a change in how you see the world? I have and that is why I haven't been blogging as often as I was. I've been going through a metamorphosis, if you can call it that. In the past few months, I have been doing a lot more journeying into the Otherworld, meeting my animal totem, working with the Great Mother and of course, reading tons of books.

I'm finding that I am not doing much in terms of rituals. I am trying to live my spiritual life as an honour to the Goddess & God. I am trying to follow the Wheel of the Year as best as I can whilst living in an urban setting, not an easy task as city spirits are a lot more fickle than their counterparts out in nature. I'm not saying that I have stopped doing Ritual altogether, just not for every Esbat and Sabbat. I feel I can honour the Gods in how I live, not by what color candle I burn on my altar or what incense I burn. Honouring Deity is not all about ritual and I have finally realized that.

In my previous post, I mentioned about my recent visit to a working homestead. While I was planting those tiny parsnip seeds (which remind me of oatmeal) I felt that connection to the Green Man. He was helping me along the way and keeping the breeze from blowing away the seeds I held in my hand. Each seed I planted was an offering to Him and a quiet thank you for bringing me to this point. I have honoured the Horned God, Green Man, Cernunnos, but it wasn't as pronounced as my honouring the Great Mother. This was the connection I needed. As I rode in the back of the carriage through the woods, I felt His presence all around me. I silently thanked Him for letting me be in His "turf", so to speak.

I had posted my blog posting in my notes on Facebook, my good friend, Cliff, responded with some very profound comments for me. Maybe the bucolic lifestyle could be for me, even though I do consider myself as not very good in the garden dept. I did enjoy my time I spent with the horses, sticking up for Acorn as she was being bullied by the other two. I felt a kinship with her, as I was picked on by my older brother growing up and having one particular girl on my street who tormented me everyday.

That homestead did something to me in a way I cannot explain. I totally get power in nature that you can't get in a city space. The energy there is so different, even the moon looks better in the wide open space of a field. Does that mean I'm going to pack everything up & move to the country?? Probably not right this second, but maybe later on down the road (just have to find a man to join me). I saw Green Magic in its purest form, no ritual required, no special spells (even though they may have secretly been in use)

A Visit to Twa Corbies Hollow

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to have a good friend over to get her haircut. In exchange for the haircut she brought me some clothes that no longer fit her (bonus) and she did an Intuitive Art Reading for me. This meant that she would hold my hand for a bit while getting visions. She then would interpret those visions through her art. On the 5"x7" card she painted as she looked at me telling me of what she saw. One thing she mentioned that has relevance to this note was about my upcoming trip to Twa Corbies for a Spirit Journey Workshop. I was told that something of importance would happen to me that would blow me away. What did that mean, I asked. She just smiled in her cute way that I would have to experience it to know it. I had been planning on going up to my friend, Cliff's place for a bit and was excited to get out of the city & breathe for a change.

As the weeks rolled by, the anticipation grew. A couple of days before the long weekend, I received a group email from Cliff. He wanted to know who was coming or not to his place so he could make the necessary arrangements. I was the only one who responded. Was that a sign of things to come??

I took an early bus ride from the city to arrive around noon at part of my destination. I was picked up by Cliff & his daughter, Natalia. After running a few errands, we went to a cute Pagan stored in New Glasgow, The White Lotus. There I found some interesting herbal teas (Faery , Vervain, Oolong & Jamaican Spice), a few more crystals for my ever-growing collection, and a Goddess figurine (I can never have enough of Her). I also got a small hand-carved stone owl, my totem animal.

We took the scenic route back to Twa Corbies Hollow. I hoping to meet others that were also invited to come. Now, for those of you who know me well, I am quite a talker, but I got the case of the shyness (hard to believe, I know) I listened to Cliff talk to me about his horses, Aval, Acorn & Sidhe Bheg. Then, I saw them as we rounded the curve in the road approaching the Hollow. Wow, they're huge!! That was my first thought As we pulled up the driveway, I could see a black dog running happily towards the truck, I got a bit nervous, as my old fear of dogs came back to me. But this dog was a playful boy who wanted to play stick. he jumped up at me & proceeded to goober up my hand with dog kisses.

I was shown the gardens, where Lady Daphne & Ariel were working on making rows for planting. I saw Claire the cow grazing in the field nearby. She's not very social for a cow. After putting my backpack up in my room, I went outside & helped (as best as I could) with whatever work they needed me to do. Natalia took me down to the barn where I met the horses close up. Aval & Acorn were the gentle giants, I fell in love with them at first sight. Sidhe Bheg, what can I say about her?? If she were human, she would be the diva of all divas. Natalia warned me that she likes to nip people, so my hands stayed in my jacket pockets, nice & safe.

After a quick lunch, we got back to work. There was no word from anyone else who were supposed to be coming for the workshop. I had a feeling that I was the only one. After playing stick with Willowisp, Cliff got Sidhe Bheg ready to go for a carriage ride, while his oldest daughter, Ariel cooked supper. Daphne, Natalia, Cliff & myself took a long winding ride through the countryside. We saw a few deer, lots of apple trees and houses with stars on them (is this a trend or are they wannabe witches?). When we arrived back to the Hollow, no one had called or showed up for the workshop. Their loss was my gain, as I was thoroughly enjoying my time. After eating a hearty potato cauliflower soup with bread & homemade cheese, we watched the Simpson's episode where Lisa meets with the Wiccans.

The next morning, after a restful sleep, I was awaken by a somewhat large furry being in bed with me, licking my hair. That could only mean one thing, my new playfriend, Willowisp was with me. I got dressed and headed downstairs to see what was on the plan for today...planting in the garden. I got to plant parsnips, get eaten alive by blackflies (still recovering from them) in spite of wearing long sleeves, bug repellent and no deodorant. They saw me as their "all you can eat buffet" and they feasted. I also went & visited with the horses, saw the goats and played stick with Willowisp. Ariel & I also pruned the apple tree next to the house. For being a city girl, I think I did alright...going without makeup, hair not done and not caring how dirty I got. I was having a blast!!

I ate homemade cheeses, organic food, drank mead for the first time (yum!), tried new things, watched a few movies, gardened, learned new things about myself I really didn't know. I didn't get to ride a horse, but maybe on my next visit I will. I even tried...miserably...archer

y and played croquet (how did I go from 2nd place to 5th so fast?) Even though no one showed up for the workshop, it was well worth the 3 hr trip from the city. I even gave Lady Daphne a haircut, using a broken hairbrush & kitchen scissors. Next time I'll bring the real scissors with me.

I would write more, but my calamine lotion needs to be reapplied, as my arms are raw from the scratching. All in all, I had a wonderful time & I can't wait to go back to the Hollow very soon. My hosts were the best!! I can always come back in time to harvest my parsnips...